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Sep 22, 2011
We met Rico, a Sound Money staffer and newcomer to the world of personal finance, a few weeks ago. After some initial advice from our man Chris Farrell, Rico is ready to make his first investment decision. Follow along as Rico hunts for the right index fund.

Apr 23, 2004
This and every week we have our Economics Editor Chris Farrell here to help you sort out what's smart, what's stupid, and what's the Straight Story. The Housing and Urban Development Department had a plan to deal with streamlining closing costs. But this week-they killed their own proposal. Chris is in a grieving mood.

Apr 12, 2004
Life is hard enough without having to decipher everything. Each week, Sound Money will bring you a word or a phrase that has bubbled to the top of the news, like 529 plans -- you hear it, you see it, but do you really know it?

Sep 22, 2011
Each week, we pick a few of your burning money questions for our very own Chris Farrell to answer. This week, Chris explains: when it's OK to shred your old financial documents, how to talk about financial issues with aging parents, the ins and outs of real estate investment trusts, and whether it makes sense to put a little bit of money toward a lot of debt.

Sep 22, 2011
How do you budget for children? How do you think about balancing life with work? Can you make your family work financially if one parent decides to stay home? These are some of the questions we started thinking about after our host, Kai Ryssdal, welcomed his third child into the world this week. Check out Kai's interview with Eric Tyson, a personal finance counselor and the author of "Personal Finance for Dummies."

Apr 20, 2006
Stock market color commentators have been debating the existence of the B-word. Reporter Lisa Napoli sorts out the meaning of the word "bubble" and tells what you should do when you hear it.

Apr 9, 2004
Life is hard enough without having to decipher everything. Each week, Sound Money will bring you a word or a phrase that has bubbled to the top of the news. For instance: Stock Swap. You hear it, you see it, but do you really know it?

Apr 13, 2004
Meet Rico, Sound Money staffer and newcomer to the world of personal finance. He doesn't have much money saved, has never owned a home, and has a bunch of debt. So, what can you learn from him? That it's never too late to start planning your financial future, if you're willing pick up some books and start reading.

Sep 22, 2011
When is an index fund not an index fund? Our in-house investment expert Erica Whittlinger talks with Stephanie Curtis about the proliferation of specialty index funds and whether or not they’re worth your time and money.